Central Asia: India Woos Regional Leaders

Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inspects an honor guard with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Astana on July 8. Modi visited Central Asian countries Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to discuss trade agreements and bilateral relations for three days before attending the joint BRICS and SCO summits in Russia. (Photo: Prime Minister of India Press Service)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the middle of a five-nation tour of Central Asia designed to ramp up New Delhi’s regional influence.

The visit “reflects our resolve to start a new era in our relations with Central Asian republics,” Modi said, after meeting with Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov on July 6, the first day of his weeklong trip. Modi is currently in the Russian provincial city of Ufa, attending two international summits.

“India is the new frontier of opportunities for the world. Central Asia is a vast region of immense resources, talented people, rapid growth and a strategic location,” Modi noted during a visit to Kazakhstan on July 7. “India is prepared to invest more in a new partnership of prosperity.”

Central Asia: India Woos Regional Leaders

Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inspects an honor guard with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Astana on July 8. Modi visited Central Asian countries Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to discuss trade agreements and bilateral relations for three days before attending the joint BRICS and SCO summits in Russia. (Photo: Prime Minister of India Press Service)